(The Center Square) – The Democratic Party appears to have lost its supermajority in the Colorado House of Representatives.
The Republican Party appears to have flipped three seats in the general election earlier this month. If that result holds, Democrats will have 43 seats out of 65 in the Colorado House of Representatives, while Republicans will have 22. A party needs 44 seats to have a supermajority in the chamber.
The difference between Democrats having the supermajority and a regular majority in the Colorado House of Representatives may be a mere seven votes. That is because Republican Rebecca Keltie had a seven-vote lead over Democrat Stephanie Vigil in House District 16 when El Paso County posted its final unofficial election results late last week.
The race will head to an automatic recount, as is the case in all Colorado elections decided by half a percentage point or less. If the result holds, it’s a flip for the Republican Party; Vigil won the seat in 2022 after running and losing in 2020.
Keltie feels confident that, even with the recount, she will win the race.
“I never count my chickens before they hatch,” Keltie told KOAA. “I may lose a vote. She may gain one. Vice versa. I don’t see it changing more than maybe one or two.”
Former state representative Dan Woog, R-Frederick, also won a tight race in District 19 that is going to a recount. The unofficial results show Woog beat Democrat Jillaire McMillan in District 19 by 123 votes, a 0.22% margin of victory; McMillan conceded in the race last week.
Plus, Republican Ryan Gonzalez defeated state representative Mary Young, D-Greeley, in District 50. Gonzalez won the race, 51.1% to 48.9%, after losing to Young, 49.2% to 47.3%, two years prior.
The Colorado Republican Party expressed joy over the gains it made this year.
“Congratulations to @Keltie4Congress and @DanielPWoog on being elected in House Districts 16 and 19!” the party posted on X. “This historic win marks the three seats flipped for the House Republicans this year! We are so excited to welcome them to our House Caucus! Well done on your hard-fought races, Representatives!”
When a party has a supermajority, it means they have enough votes to put a constitutional measure on the ballot, override a governor’s veto, and amend their chamber’s rules without the support of the minority party, according to Colorado Public Radio. The losses also mean Democrats will cede a couple of seats on committees.
Even though they lost seats, the Colorado Democratic Party praised itself for holding the majority in both chambers.
“Speaker of the House Julie McKluskie announced that Colorado Democrats will keep our majority in the Colorado State House,” the party posted on X on November 7. “This is a win for Colorado families and workers. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen.”
Additionally, Democratic House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, downplayed her party’s losses.
“These results will have very little practical implications, but they do show that the Republican party in Colorado is still as lost as they have ever been,” she told Colorado Public Radio.
The Democrats have a 23 to 12 majority in the Colorado Senate, one shy of a supermajority.
